Resident Evil 8: Village Preview

Resident Evil has long stood at the top of survival horror's most notable list. Sometimes for good reasons, sometimes simply for the size of Chris Redfield's neck in 5. (Many of us still aren't over watching him batter a boulder...) However, it's also the one horror game with the most thematic changes over the years. From the tank controls of old, to the over the shoulder first person shooter of new, to the first person terror of Biohazard. A lot has changed and gone on, but with this, so has some of the impact of the fear. Luckily, Village aims to bring back the actual horror with a new setting and new troubles.

What We Know!

The focus for this one is supposedly around the characters and troubles they'll need to overcome. It hints heavily at history having an impact, which also hints at returning characters. There is speculation as to whether you'll be playing as Ethan Winters or Chris Redfield, but both are present in the trailers. Either way, it means a continued story and links to the past. Despite the historically complicated story of the franchise, we hope its links lie more with Biohazard that any of the others.

As for theme, the trailers do hint at darker happenings and harder decisions being made. The settings are hard and cold, often in log cabins or ancient buildings of a secluded landscape. What's more is the hints dropped! "His story comes to a close" is a big red flag that someone's going to get up close and personal with the undead! As for the nasties, there are big hints that the ambling carcasses of old are less present. This means there's either mutated abominations time take on, or worse, people.

Why We're Excited

Resident Evil 8: Village holds a gritty, dark and ominous feel. Unlike the recent remakes, this is going outside of the urban landscape of Raccoon City. But it won't have the bayou feel of Biohazard, so I'm personally hoping for a similar theme to the start of Resident Evil 4 (before you inexplicably appeared in a medieval castle). What's more is the new enemy set in place. Over the years, Resident Evil has driven away from classic zombie and more towards mutants and other horrific variants. Though these felt more forced into their themes, in the dingy, cold landscapes of 8 they'd look menacing coming through the fog! With that, the living enemies may also cause new horror. Cults are a hot topic in horror, so expect strange rituals and some shady happenings all round!

We're hoping Village can give us that first experience feel again, much like Biohazard did. Even the most recent remakes gave us a good fright or two! What we don't want is another "shoot'em up" with some zombies. I'm confident Resident Evil 8: Village is going to deliver in terms of horror. Whether the narrative follows the same gritty, dark path is unknown. Either way, I'm hyped to get hunted down by a dark cult!